BoxerPitMix
Chris
Some of you Tahoe/Yukon owners may have the infamous driveline "clunk" when you take off after coming to a stop. It's not easy to pinpoint and a lot of people point the finger at U-Joints, carrier bearings, leaf spring bushings, axle wrap, driveline slack... But it is actually the yoke that slips into the output shaft of your transmission.
When you come to a stop, the yoke slides into the transmission a bit. Instead of sliding out when you let off the brake or give it gas it sort of "binds" and causes the noise you hear in the rear end when it finally slides back out.
To diagnose this, remove your driveshaft and grease the inside/outside of the slip yoke and put it back together. If this eliminates your clunk, then you've found your issue. Greasing it, however, is only a short-term fix and from what I've read is not recommended to do on a regular basis as it will degrade your fluid over time.
Also, check that your transfer case is filled with Autotrac II fluid and NOT red transmission fluid (if applicable).
The Fix
From what I've gathered among various forums there was a GM bulletin from several years ago on this issue. The bulletin states that in order to eliminate the driveline clunk that the slip yoke needs to be replaced with a "New Design" nickel-plated slip yoke.
These part numbers are for my '99 Yukon w/ Autotrac. Before ordering I used the last 6 digits of my VIN to verify the GM part # with a dealership so these companies could cross reference it when their own. I recommend you doing the same before ordering so you don't end up with a very expensive paper weight.
The dealer part number for this yoke (on my truck) is 88963576. My local dealer wants $240.78 for this part.
GMPartsDirect.com wants $144 + shipping.
http://www.gmpartsdirect.co/oe-gm/88963576
You can also find this part on eBay as part number 12477702 for roughly $215 shipped to your door.
I found this part at Driveline America for $102.22 + Shipping. I called them to verify it was the part. These guys were very helpful and friendly giving me advice on how to change it and giving me a good deal on a U-joint to go with it.
http://www.drivetrainamerica.com/p-4950-40032054-aam-oe-gm-3r-slip-yoke-nickel-plated-32-spline.aspx
It should be on here on Tuesday. I may not get to installing it right away but when I do I will update this thread.
If you're interested in more information on this, there are a few threads over at TahoeYukonForum.com addressing this.
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38275
http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?t=1307
When you come to a stop, the yoke slides into the transmission a bit. Instead of sliding out when you let off the brake or give it gas it sort of "binds" and causes the noise you hear in the rear end when it finally slides back out.
To diagnose this, remove your driveshaft and grease the inside/outside of the slip yoke and put it back together. If this eliminates your clunk, then you've found your issue. Greasing it, however, is only a short-term fix and from what I've read is not recommended to do on a regular basis as it will degrade your fluid over time.
Also, check that your transfer case is filled with Autotrac II fluid and NOT red transmission fluid (if applicable).
The Fix
From what I've gathered among various forums there was a GM bulletin from several years ago on this issue. The bulletin states that in order to eliminate the driveline clunk that the slip yoke needs to be replaced with a "New Design" nickel-plated slip yoke.
These part numbers are for my '99 Yukon w/ Autotrac. Before ordering I used the last 6 digits of my VIN to verify the GM part # with a dealership so these companies could cross reference it when their own. I recommend you doing the same before ordering so you don't end up with a very expensive paper weight.
The dealer part number for this yoke (on my truck) is 88963576. My local dealer wants $240.78 for this part.
GMPartsDirect.com wants $144 + shipping.
http://www.gmpartsdirect.co/oe-gm/88963576
You can also find this part on eBay as part number 12477702 for roughly $215 shipped to your door.
I found this part at Driveline America for $102.22 + Shipping. I called them to verify it was the part. These guys were very helpful and friendly giving me advice on how to change it and giving me a good deal on a U-joint to go with it.
http://www.drivetrainamerica.com/p-4950-40032054-aam-oe-gm-3r-slip-yoke-nickel-plated-32-spline.aspx
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It should be on here on Tuesday. I may not get to installing it right away but when I do I will update this thread.
If you're interested in more information on this, there are a few threads over at TahoeYukonForum.com addressing this.
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38275
http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?t=1307